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Trenton and Free Radical nominated for a Wawela award
Trenton and Free Radical, the Cape Town-based band, have had an impressive 12 months: they opened for international megastars UB40 and Gentleman; played the City of Cape Town's Switching on of the Lights to over 100,000 people; signed a German management deal with Volker May - the vice-chairman of the International Music Managers Forum; and secured the London-based, South Africa-raised producer Craigie Dodds (Gorillaz, Amy Winehouse, Leona Lewis, Kano) to produce their next album.
Just last week they were nominated for Best Duo/Group by the Wawela Awards for their debut album, "Giant Step", which includes the hit single Tomorrow's Day featuring Faithless frontman Maxi Jazz.
The Wawela Awards are a SAMRO (South African Music Rights Association) initiative aimed squarely at recognising songwriters, which makes the band's nomination that more notable. Said singer and band lyricist Trenton Birch: "It's really amazing for us that Wawela is song-writing focused. I think it is an important award for the industry, as I don't think we place enough emphasis on the craft of song writing here in South Africa."
Invited to play the Reeperbahn Festival
To top of an eventful past 12 months Trenton and Free Radical have also been invited to play a showcase set at Germany's Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg. It's an amazing opportunity for the band to represent South Africa at Europe's largest B2B platform for the music and digital industry.
While costs on the ground are covered by the conference, invitees are required to pay for their own transport to the festival. This means all flight costs will be footed by the band themselves. They have launched a crowd funding campaign to raise the money and have a series of fundraising gigs lined up. Check on the band's campaign www.thundafund.com/trentonandfreeradical
The Reeperbahn Festival offers industry professionals a programme that includes approximately 150 sessions, networking events, matchmaking meetings, showcases and award shows. More than 1200 companies and organisations take part in the conference and they host over 27,000 visitors to the event. This year, there will be a panel on the South African Music Industry, which the band will also take part in. www.reeperbahnfestival.com
